Good morning, Tassie! | Sunday, October 16, 2016

State of the nation

Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.

► BACCHUS MARSH, VIC: A cluster of baby deaths at a Bacchus Marsh hospital has triggered sweeping changes to how Victoria will manage medical errors and patient safety across the state. A damning independent report has found that for many years the state health department left patient safety in the hands of individual boards, creating gaping holes in monitoring and a culture of cover-up and missed opportunity. Read more.

► TAMWORTH, NSW: Ten years ago, the uncomfortable glare of national disapproval was on Tamworth. A plan for the region to offer the humanitarian resettlement of up to five families - refugees from the war, hunger and persecution of their home countries - had been rejected almost 4-1 in a residents’ survey and voted down 6-3 by the council. But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Read more.

► BURNIE, TAS: A funding grant will see a new bottling line built at the Hellyers Road Distillery to create jobs and increase product output. Hellyers was awarded $250,000 from the government’s Regional Revival Fund to install the new bottling line as well as other infrastructure to support the growing demand for their whisky. Read more.

► ILLAWARRA, NSW: Trudy Davis was a fighter, and since her death nearly three years ago her mother Karenne has been fighting for justice on her behalf. This week Mrs Davis, her husband Geoffrey, Trudy’s two sons and the rest of the family thought that day may finally have come. However the news that the doctor accused of wrongly discharging Trudy from Shellharbour Hospital in the hours leading to her death had been reprimanded for unsatisfactory professional conduct has brought them no closure. Read more.

► CENTRAL VIC: Zoos Victoria is calling on central Victorians to help bring back a ‘cryptic’ lizard and a mimic bird from the verge of extinction. The regent honeyeater was once a common sight in Bendigo and the grassland earless dragon widespread across the plains of central Victoria. However the bird has not been seen in Bendigo for decades, while the lizard may already be lost to Victoria. Read more.

► LAUNCESTON, TAS: Launceston-raised Alexander Borst is working to “erase the line” between same-sex and opposite-sex weddings. Mr Borst, who now lives in Melbourne, this year launched Mr Theodore, an online wedding directory that details suppliers who support same-sex marriage. The catalyst for Mr Theodore came from his personal life. Read more.

National news

►Roz and John Bradbury have paid just over double the selling price for the last Ford Falcon XR6 sedan produced in Australia. But Roz Bradbury, who owns Sunbury Ford in north-west Melbourne, says having a piece of the country's automobile history is worth the price. Read more.

► The number of Australian children living in poverty is rising, with more than 730,000 children now below the breadline in what has been described as a "national shame" and a dismal reflection on the country's politicians.Read more.

► An award-winning Australian cameraman has been remanded in custody after he was charged with multiple child sex offences. Read more.

National weather radar

International news

► ENGLAND: Chloe McCardel is an interesting athlete. Many athletes aren't. Ask them how they did so well and, if they're honest, they'll say they were born with a freakish gift and practised a lot. But McCardel was born with a good-but-not-great physical gift, and has turned herself into one of the world's best open-water marathon swimmers by sheer force of will. Read more.

► THAILAND: A 96-year-old retired military officer and former prime minister has been named Thailand's temporary Regent as the nation mourns the death of the world's longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol​ Adulyadej​. Read more.

► CHINA: Several employees from casino giant Crown are believed to have been arrested and detained in China by local authorities. Billionaire businessman James Packer's Crown Resorts on Saturday said it's believed the employees were being interviewed. Read more.

On this day

October 16, 1923: "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse." On this day 93 years ago, Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded the Walt Disney Company. The company started off as a leader in animation, before diversifying. Now known as Walt Disney Productions, it focuses on a range of media, including live-action film production, television, theatre, radio, music, publishing, and online media. And of course, it’s famous for its theme parks! Enjoy a tour of Disneyland with Walt Disney himself, here:

The faces of Australia: Trevor Dickinson

NEVER has an artist used Newcastle as both their muse and canvas more than Trevor Dickinson.

Plotting the locations of his instantly recognisable murals on a map is like watching a painting obscure a blank page: Newcastle Beach, Mayfield Swimming Centre, the Merewether Beach tunnel and nearby Beach Hotel, inside and outside Newcastle Museum and even the dartboard at Lambton Park Hotel.

This doesn’t include his works on hoardings outside The Lucky Hotel and inside Charlestown Square, which have since been dismantled.

But after about five years of capturing the icons and idiosyncrasies of his much-loved adopted hometown, English-born Dickinson has drawn only five scenes of the city over the past two years. Read more.